After
by teammccord
Summary: Post-ep for 3.05 "The French Revolution." The aftermath. The kids, some scotch, some dancing, and some celebration. Because the stalker is gone, and we can breathe again.


So that episode was amazing. The bathtub scene *swoon* and the dancing, and of course the stalker — which, by the way, I did _not_ see coming. Long story short, I was inspired. Please let me know what you think of this. Reviews are my lifeblood. Thanks, and enjoy!

* * *

 _"We should celebrate."_

 _"What do you wanna do?"_

 _"Go home."_

 _"Let's go."_

She gripped Henry's hand and led them out of the ballroom, a smile gracing her features. She had to bite her lip to keep from releasing a full-on giggle — the stress of the last few days was taking its toll, and sometimes, emotions just needed to be let out. Because bloody hell, they'd had a stalker! And that was so far out of the realm of normal that the only way Elizabeth's brain could process the sheer incredulity of the situation was to burst out into laughter.

Not that diving into hysterics at a state dinner was in anyone's best interest, especially considering the fragility of the whole operation. Hours previous, they didn't even know if there would _be_ a state dinner. So she dutifully bit down on her lip and forced herself to calm down, forced herself to maintain her dignity and poise as she and Henry snuck out and said their goodbyes to Dalton, the French delegation and her staff. No one took notice of how hard she was working to keep it together — except maybe Nadine, who shot her a knowing look. Elizabeth just shook her head and smiled.

When they reached a secluded hallway on their way out, Elizabeth stopped Henry. Her urge to laugh was gone, replaced instead by a sudden wave of exhaustion. She placed a hand on his chest and let out a deep breath, sighing as she fell forward and rested her head where her hand had been. Henry wrapped his arms around her and steadied her, pressing a kiss to her hair. The gravity of the situation had hit them both like a ton of bricks, even though simultaneously they felt a giant weight lifted off their shoulders. It made no sense, but then again, having a _stalker_ was equally absurd.

"Hey, you okay?" Henry asked, tipping Elizabeth's chin upward so she could look at him.

"Yeah, I think so. All of this is just insane."

"That's a good way to describe it. But it's over, babe. We don't have to worry any more."

She smiled and pressed a kiss to Henry's lips. He was right. It was over, and she couldn't be more grateful.

They spent the ride home in relative silence, both still processing what had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Elizabeth had curled into Henry's side when they sat down, and now tucked in to the crook of his neck, she finally felt completely safe again. Not that her husband's presence didn't always make her feel safe, but lately, that feeling had been tinged with fear. They'd had no way of assessing the stalker's capabilities, no way of knowing whether he would strike at a moment's notice. They'd had to live on the edge, alert at all times. And it had worn at them.

When they got home, they knew they had to tell the kids. They couldn't bear to leave them in the dark again, not like last time. Because that had lead to a SWAT team at Jason's school, and Alison joking about therapy. They summoned all the kids to the living room for a family meeting, sitting down on the couch with their hands clasped together. If there was a time where they needed to lean on one another, this was it. Both Elizabeth and Henry were fairly sure that without the other one there, it would be impossible not to fall apart in front of their children.

They both hated they had to go through this; their children didn't deserve to live in fear. One by one, Stevie, Alison and Jason came down the stairs, sitting down opposite their parents. They all had trepidation in their faces, manifested in different ways, but Henry and Elizabeth saw right through them.

Stevie had crossed her arms over her chest and stayed standing — she was trying her hardest to be strong for her brother and sister. At that moment, Henry saw so much of Elizabeth in his eldest daughter and he was filled with fatherly pride. At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder where the time had gone, how his little girl had grown up so damn fast and was ready to get married. He pushed the thought aside and focused on the task at hand.

Jason sat perched on the sofa, a skeptical look on his face, his brow furrowed, hiding all his emotions from the outside world. Typical teenage boy behaviour, but Elizabeth still hated that she and Henry seemed not to be getting through to him lately, that he was shutting them out. Her heart ached at the thought.

And then there was Alison. She'd always been an open book, her emotions fluctuating from scared to defensive and overdramatic within the blink of an eye. Now, she was visibly scared, biting her bottom lip and looking at both her parents with wide eyes. Her expressions made both of them feel so incredibly guilty, and they took deep breaths.

"We wanted to tell you it's over," Henry said, breaking the silence. "Your mom and I got word today that they have the stalker in custody."

"Really?" That was Alison, looking at them in disbelief.

"Yeah Noodle, they got him. It's really over," Elizabeth said, smiling shyly.

"Who was it?" Stevie asked, unfolding her arms and placing them on the back of the sofa.

"A big donor to Mr. Dalton hired a hacker to try to intimidate mom to make her quit her job," Henry said. They'd agreed to tell the children the truth, more secrecy wouldn't do anyone any good.

"That's awful!"

"Yeah, Stevie, it is." Elizabeth sighed at the admittance; never in her wildest dreams would she have thought Julius Burton was behind all of this.

"Well, there we have it. The puppet government is controlled by the elite!" Jason exclaimed, getting up and moving toward the stairs.

Henry shot up too. "Jase! Wait, stop that!"

Jason just looked over his shoulder and said, "I'm going to bed" before disappearing upstairs. Henry and Elizabeth looked at each other, flummoxed.

"He'll come around," Stevie said. "Give him the night."

Elizabeth sighed: when had Stevie become the grown-up one?

"Does that mean we get to ditch the agents?" Alison looked over, a hopeful expression on her face.

"Yes. The FBI is going to clear everything in the next few days, and then the agents will be reassigned."

"Thank goodness." Alison smiled and walked over to hug her parents. "I'm going to go to bed too. Love you."

"Love you too, Noodle."

When Alison was gone, Stevie turned to her parents. "Are you guys okay?"

Elizabeth could've laughed at the irony of it all — at her daughter asking _her_ if she was okay, not the other way around. "Yeah, honey. We're okay."

"Good."

Elizabeth pulled Stevie into a tight hug. "Baby, you don't have to worry about us. We should be worrying about you, we're still the parents in this equation."

"Yeah," Henry agreed when the hug broke and he pressed a kiss to the crown of Stevie's head, hugging her too. "You've grown up so damn fast."

Stevie chuckled, smiling at her parents. "Well, by those standards, you guys are practically ancient. Doesn't that mean it's past your bedtime?"

Everyone laughed at that, and Elizabeth pointed a finger at Stevie in mock sternness. "You'd be surprised how much us 'old folks' can still accomplish."

"I know that, mom. Goodnight!"

Henry and Elizabeth were suddenly alone again, and they plopped back on the couch cushions with audible sighs.

"That went…"

"… well?"

"Henry, are you sure?"

"C'mere." He pulled her close, and pressed a kiss to her hair. "They'll come and talk when they're ready. Don't worry too much."

She sighed and snuggled further into his side.

"Besides," Henry whispered, "we were planning on celebrating."

"Hmm, we were." She pushed herself up with a glint in her eye and sauntered over to the liquor cabinet. Henry watched her walk away with a smile, her dress sparkling in the dim light. Damn, she was gorgeous.

Elizabeth returned with two glasses of scotch and handed one to him. "To getting rid of our stalker."

"To us."

They clinked their glasses together and took a sip, hissing as the liquid passed down their throats. Henry set his glass down on the coffee table and reached for Elizabeth's, placing it beside his. "Dance with me," he said, a smile on his face.

"Henry, there's no music."

"That doesn't matter." He took her hand in his and wrapped an arm around her waist. Hers did the same, snaking around his waist as Henry started swaying. They moved to their own music, to the uniform beating of their hearts, to a melody only they knew. Over the years, they'd learned their song — it wasn't audible but very much there, it was the rhythm that connected them, that synched them up.

Henry broke the silence. He dipped down to press a kiss to his wife's cheek. "You look stunning."

Elizabeth blushed a deep crimson — Henry loved he could still make her blush and his heart swelled at the sight — and she smiled up at him. "Thank you. You look handsome too."

She pushed up on her tiptoes and kissed him softly, and he could feel her smiling on his lips. Their kiss broke and Henry stopped swaying. He let go of Elizabeth's hand and she looked at him quizzically. He flashed her a broad smile and stepped a half-step closer, into her personal space. She could feel his hot breath on her skin, causing the hairs on her neck to stand up.

He then cupped her cheeks and pulled her close, pressing his lips to hers. She leant into him, their bodies pushing flush as she wound her arms around his neck. His tongue traced the seam of her lips, asking for entrance, and she parted them, allowing their tongues to duel together. His tongue brushed over the roof of her mouth and her eyes fell shut as she succumbed to the sensation of kissing her husband. They broke apart only for air, and they rested their foreheads together, their breaths mingling as they tried to regain a normal pattern of breathing.

"Now that's my kind of celebration," Henry quipped, and Elizabeth smacked him on the shoulder. "Ow!" he cried in mock pain, before they both broke out into giggles.

Elizabeth suddenly remembered something and her eyes lit up with glee. "Did I tell you Russell called me brilliant? And excellent?"

"Really?" Henry was surprised; he knew the chief of staff liked his wife, but he also knew Russell Jackson was not a man to show affection.

"Mmm, he came to his senses." She grinned and winked. "Mind, he did follow up his speech by saying I was awful at politics and was undermining the future of his career, but I'm gonna focus on the positives."

Henry shook his head and laughed. That was so typically Russell — wrapping up compliments in a nice bow of rage.

"Well, to me you're always excellent, and brilliant, and beautiful, and kind…" Henry was punctuating every part of his sentence with a peck to Elizabeth's lips.

"And you, mister, are cheesy and sappy…" Elizabeth picked up on his little game "… and I love you."

"I love you too, Elizabeth."

"I'm so glad it's over." Henry became serious again for a minute, looking into her eyes.

"Me too. And we need to talk about it, I know, but not tonight. I just want to be _happy_ tonight, and not worry. This week has been non-stop, and I just need a break."

"Hmm, I have some ideas that could _relax_ you." Henry dipped down to kiss her again, long and hard. He pulled away abruptly, and tilted his head up toward the stairs. "Care to celebrate upstairs?"

A little out of breath, Elizabeth nodded. "Always."


End file.
